The Justice System is Ineffectual in Protecting the Rights of the People

The Justice System is Ineffectual in Protecting the Rights of the People

The justice system is meant to ensure law and order prevails. Those who break the law are bound to be punished depending on the wrong deed done. Instead, the justice system has been in the spotlight for not offering equal rights, mostly regarding the skin color of individuals and assumptions on the same. Using serial, the podcast, I explain the ineffectual justice system. This paper will highlight instances where police behavior was possibly illegal and certainly justice was not carried out in a fair and equitable way.

Joshua risks his stay in juvenile by cooperating with the police. The act makes him a target for his prison mates. The guards are also part of the fights, as they facilitated the fights (PR Staff). With help, his sentence will be increased. The guards participating in illegal activity is a counterproductive practice as inmates are in prison because they have broken the law and are being reformed by force. When the guards act in unison with convicts it shows the prisoners that even the guards are not concerned with the law and it can reinforce their negative behaviors which landed them in prison in the first place.

In season 3, episode 4, Holmes says that he was not ready to give up anyone for the shooting of the five-month-old child, Avielle. He adds that he was ready to give the police false information and not cooperate with them in the processes of finding the real shooter. Later, the father of the deceased, Mr. Wakefield, is interviewed (Shaffer). He, too, claims Holmes is not the shooter; not only him but also the whole community. Shaffer Cory in the article “No Snitches,’ Heartless Felons, Child Homicides and a Stubborn Cleveland Government” nobody wants to get entangled in any mess with law enforcement. Criminals have a strict code in which they are barred from talking to legal authorities. Breaking this oath often leads to the death of the “Snitch,” and other potential repercussions against them and their families.

In episode 3, Spencer is beat up by police officers because he had marijuana cigarettes. Spencer was not aware it was illegal for him to have possession of the cigarettes. Spencer’s lawyer is seen defending police officers in such cases before he realized he was defending the wrong side (PR Staff). The justice system works to ensure its people are not said to be wrong when enforcing laws. Despite the subject claiming ignorance of the law, the law still applies. It is also not believable that didn’t realize the narcotics were against the law. It also does not specify if he was resisting arrest when he was struck by police. It’s unlikely that police regularly beat people indiscriminately with their nightsticks for breaking the law.

The system in charge of offering justice is seen to be protecting its workers, that is, the police and correctional officers in the eighth episode of the podcast. Despite Joshua being known by many to be one who could offer information to the police when asked, the correctional officers never protected him against these juvenile prison fights. Some of the prison guards facilitated his beating by the other mates inside. The ill-treatment happened, yet they knew by Joshua sharing information to the police officers about certain cases that would help the police in their operations, the cells were no longer safe for him, for his reputation was well known. The guard who facilitated his beating by the other prison mates did not lose his job because of that crime but because he purchased pizza (PR Staff). The justice system would not want to tell the public the truth about the matter to protect its reputation. The justice system had to find a better way of dismissing the guard, hence the pizza story as a cover-up. Contrary to what was getting practiced, that is, providing cover-ups for police officers for the crime they do, the justice system should work equally towards all who are being governed by it. The justice system also aims at promoting peace and reminds us we are all equal when it comes to the law.

Justice should not be offered in regards to race. Anna, a young white girl, visits a bar with her friend. The men in the bar hit their behinds continuously despite them asking the men to stop. Out of anger, Anna precipitates a fight in the bar and unfortunately, hits a police officer who enters the bar. She is arrested and charged with assaulting the officer. Despite Anna not being the source of the fight, the officer does not care why there was a fight in the bar and press charges accordingly, however the crux of the charges are against her. Anna is offered a bond to pay to avoid imprisonment, which is paid on the fourth day after her arrest, and she is released (PR Staff). Possibly, were it a black man or woman in place of Anna, the case would have been charged more harshly because of their race. Anna has an obligation to report the incident to authorities or simply leave the bar. Her rash actions cause her to assault a police officer. While she did not start the altercation, she did escalate the situation leading to her arrest.

Most judges in Cleveland are found to be racial and biased. The judges determined the cases brought to them according to how they feel the crime should be compensated. The judges’ feelings is also a factor in the ruling imposed on the defendant. Race also matters on the punishment to be given. Daniel Gaul, one of the judges in Cleveland, shows how he imposes ruling based on his personal feelings when he says that a child born out of wedlock will be regarded as a parole violation (PR Staff). The situation of having children out of wedlock is mainly experienced by the blacks, meaning he said it was targeting a particular race, the black race hence claiming that the blacks commit many crimes and should be stopped. The assumption is part of the reasons the judges make assumptions out of their interest. All persons arrested or jailed should face equal treatment in their journey to obtain justice.

To conclude, the serial podcast, has helped point out how inefficient the justice system is in Cleveland. The many instances that act as example should be a sign that the justice system need to be changed for the better. However, one should not get carried away with anecdotal gray areas such as claiming ignorance of a law, or escalating a fight in a bar. Only real instances of police wrongdoing should the subject of reform and not based on racial and social justice groups along with politicians who routinely draw issue to things for self-aggrandizing purposes.

Works cited

“Season 3, Episode By Episode” PR Staff. Podcast Review, 2018,

https://podcastreview.org/review/serial-season-3/.

“Season 3, Episode 4” Serial: Shaffer Cory, ‘No Snitches,’ Heartless Felons, Child Homicides

And a Stubborn Cleveland Government”. Cleveland, 2018, https://www.cleveland.com/news/erry-2018/10/18625b99207065/serial-season-3-episode-4-no-s.html.